This specification relates to data processing in seismic surveys.
Geological surveys and imaging investigate the geology beneath the ground and are conducted for oil and gas explorations as well as for various scientific purposes such as mapping and modeling. One form of geological survey is a reflection seismology survey, or seismic reflection. In a reflection seismology survey, a controlled seismic source of energy generates seismic waves. The seismic waves travel in the Earth, and are reflected back to surface of the Earth when the seismic waves encounter an interface between two materials having different acoustic impedances. The acoustic impedance of material can be affected by properties, e.g., elasticity, viscoelasticity and density, of the material. Sensors placed on or near the surface of the Earth can detect the seismic waves that are reflected back. By analyzing data recorded by the sensors, an image depicting geological properties under the surface of the Earth can be generated. The image can indicate, for example, where oil or natural gas may be located. A single reflection seismology survey can generate terabytes of data. Processing the data is computationally intensive.